


Hate

by Longitudinalwave



Category: The Flash (Comics), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Racism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:16:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28552233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Longitudinalwave/pseuds/Longitudinalwave
Summary: Mark Mardon and his son, Josh.Wally and Linda West and their children, Jai and Irey.Wallace West, the current Kid Flash.Hundreds of Central City's other inhabitants.What do these people all have in common?They're targets of the Clan of the Fiery Cross.
Kudos: 5





	1. An Australian and a Scotsman Find a Note....

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dillonmania](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dillonmania/gifts), [Swashbuckler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swashbuckler/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for checking out my story. 
> 
> As the title of the story and the tags imply, this story is going to be tackling a rather serious subject matter. I want to handle the subject sensitively and properly. Feedback is appreciated!

Evan McCulloch took one look at the note that someone had pinned on the door of the Rogues’ latest hideout and started cracking up. Was _that_ actually supposed to be threatening? He didn’t know what idiot was responsible for it, but they really needed to come up with better insults. A few seconds later, Digger stumbled through the door of the hideout, beer can in hand. 

“Whasso funny- _hic-_ mate?” he slurred. 

“Some bampot thinks he’s scarier than he is. Here, take a look,” Evan replied as he handed the note to the Aussie. 

“‘You aren’t American’. Reckon! We’ve got a real genius on our hands, here! ‘Go back to where you came from, or face the consequences.’ No drama, I will-as soon as I’ve stolen enough of your Yank money!” Digger exclaimed. With that, he, too, burst into laughter. 

“Pure hilarious, int it no?” 

“Reckon! I love how some Yanks think that saying that someone ain’t a Yank is an insult. I’m an Aussie and proud of it!” 

“Aye. I wouldnae call meself a Yankee for all the dosh in the world. And it’ll take more than a wee note tae scare off a Glaswegian!” Evan said. 

“Do I even want to know what you morons think is so funny?” Captain Cold asked as he stomped down the stairs. He was followed closely by Mardon, the Weather Wizard. 

“G’day, Cap’n! G’day, Mardon!” 

“Howzitgoan, you two? Digger and I are havin’ a laugh at a bampot who thinks he can scare us off by stating the obvious.” 

“What do you mean, scare you off?” Captain Cold demanded. 

“Well, the note says that we ain’t Yanks, and that if we don’t leave, then we’ll have to “face the consequences”, whatever that means,” Digger replied. Strangely, the color started to drain from Mardon’s face, puzzling Evan. Not only was the note not even remotely scary, but it hadn’t even been addressed to him! Why did he seem so nervous? 

“Aye. I kin understand why soombody might try tae scare us off, us being the most powerful crooks in town and all, but I dinnae ken what us nae being American has tae do with it,” Evan added. 

“L-let me see that,” Mardon said. He grabbed the note out of Digger’s hand, read it, and then dropped as though it was burning him. 

“Mardon, what’s going on?” Cold demanded. 

“That note...it wasn’t intended for Evan or Digger. It was meant for me. It’s….it’s from _them_. They’re back,” Mardon said weakly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading.


	2. An Ill Wind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for racism and acts of terror. 
> 
> This version of Mark blends Mark's original origin story and name with the fact that New 52/Rebirth Marco Mardon is from Guatemala. Otherwise, the story can be assumed to take place pre-Flashpoint. 
> 
> Captain Boomerang's history of making racist comments comes from John Ostrander's Suicide Squad run. 
> 
> The "Clan of the Fiery Cross" comes from a series of episodes from the Superman radio show. The real-world group they represent should be obvious.

“What do ye mean, the note is for ye? You’re a Yankee, are ye nae?” Evan asked. 

“Yes. No. It’s...complicated,” Mark replied. This was terrible. How could they be back? 

“We’ve got time, Mardon. Why do you think this note is addressed to you...and why does it have you so spooked?” Cold asked. 

“I don’t think it’s addressed to me. I  _ know _ it is, because I know who it’s from,” Mark replied. This was bad. This was bad. This was  _ very _ bad. 

“And it’s from?” Cold asked. 

“The Clan of the Fiery Cross. One of their symbols is on the letter, so it has to be addressed to me. They hate people like me!”

“Criminals?” Evan asked. 

“Meteorologists?” Digger wondered. 

“No! You guys really don’t know what the Clan of the Fiery Cross is?” 

“Nope,” Digger said. 

“Nae. Is this some weird American thing?” Evan asked. Cold frowned thoughtfully.

“Now that you mention it, they do sound vaguely familiar. Didn’t they die out like fifty years ago, though?” he replied. Mark laughed weakly.

“I wish. No, they’re still around...and they hate me.” 

“So does most of the city, mate. They’re gonna have to get in line,” Digger said. Mark scowled at him. This was not funny! 

“No, no, you don’t understand! They don’t hate me because I’m a criminal, or because I’m annoying, or anything like that. They hate me because...well,  _ look _ at me!” Mark had never professed to be quick on the uptake, mainly because he usually wasn’t, but even he wasn’t  _ this  _ slow! Why couldn’t the other Rogues figure it out? 

“Your hair’s a bit goofy-looking, but you ain’t  _ that _ ugly, mate,” Digger said, clearly puzzled. Mark had to resist the urge to facepalm. Clearly, the indirect route wasn’t working. 

“Forget my hair! Look at my skin! The Clan of the Fiery Cross hates me because I’m Hispanic!” 

“You are?” Cold asked, clearly surprised. 

“Yes. I am. I guess you guys never figured it out because I don’t have an accent and I don’t know much Spanish...and there’s good reason for that. My parents, my brother, and I moved here from Guatemala when I was only a month and a half old. Like a lot of people, they were fleeing a terrible civil war, and because they were both college educated, they were lucky enough to get accepted into the United States pretty much right away, and they became American citizens when I was about a year old. But that didn’t stop the Clan. When I was about three years old, and my parents and I were living in Dunhurst, we started receiving notes like the one that I got today. My parents just ignored them, so they started vandalizing our house-throwing rocks through windows, graffiting the place-that sort of stuff. I think my parents went to the police, but nothing ever came of it. From what my parents told Clyde and me later, I don’t think most of them wanted us in their town either. Anyway, a couple of nights later….and I will  _ never _ forget this…Clyde woke me up because a bright light was shining through our window. We looked through the blinds and we saw a big plume of fire on our front lawn. We both freaked out and woke up our parents, and they called the fire department, but before the fire department showed up, the Green Lantern and the Flash-the old ones-arrived and put out the fire. The Clan had burned a cross on our front lawn. Luckily for us, the superheroes tracked down the Clan, managed to arrest the perpetrators, and drove the group out of the town, but my parents were spooked just the same. They moved us to Bridgeville and did everything they could to make us seem more American. They stopped speaking Spanish with or around us, stopped celebrating any holidays that would make us stand out, hid anything that would hint at us being Hispanic….they even changed our names from Marco and Claudio to Mark and Clyde. I don’t think anyone in Bridgeville knows we’re Hispanic; they hid us that well. The only reason Clyde and I really learned it was because we had a family history project in the sixth grade. When we asked, they told us the story, but they refused to let us share it in class. They actually gave us a fake story to tell instead! And now the group that caused all that...they’re back. They’ve come to Central City.” Digger swore loudly. 

“You never told me you were a dirty ***!” he exclaimed, using a particularly nasty slur. This prompted Mark, who was already incredibly agitated, to punch him in the face. 

“Gee. I wonder why he never told you, Digger,” Cold muttered sarcastically. 

“Don’t you  _ ever  _ call me that again,” Mark said. Dealing with the Clan was stressful enough. He wasn’t about to put up with slurs from his so-called teammate on top of it. 

“I’ll call you whatever I- _ hic! _ -want, you lousy ****!” 

“Digger, go home. You’re drunk,” Cold ordered. 

“No, I ain’t. I’ve only had a couple ‘a’ tinnies,” Digger replied. 

“Evan, he’s drunk. Take him home.” 

“Aye-aye, Captain,” Evan replied. With that, he grabbed Digger and the two of them disappeared into the Mirror Realm. As soon as they were gone, Captain Cold sighed and sat down. 

“Mardon, don’t listen to Digger. He’s an idiot.” Mark scowled. 

“Don’t tell me you expect me to put up with that!” 

“ I don’t expect you to put up with it, Mardon. If he ever talks to you like that again, he’s out of the group. And if this Clan of the Fiery Cross thinks it can mess with one Rogue without messing with them all...well, it’s got another thing coming!” Mark smiled weakly. True, he didn’t relish the thought of having a bunch of racists coming after him again, but if the Rogues could hold their own against the Flash, they could certainly hold their own against the Clan. Probably. He hoped. 

“Thanks, Cold.” 

“Of course. We’re Rogues. We always protect our own.” Mark gasped.

“I just remembered! What about Josh and my parents? The Clan might go after them, too!” Cold frowned. 

“You’re right, they might...and for all we know, they aren’t all. I’m calling an emergency Rogue meeting right now.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!


	3. Evan McCulloch Goes to Church (And Other Revelations)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Protecting his team may be more difficult than Cold anticipated.

“All right, is everyone except Digger here?” Len yelled, trying to be heard over the din his teammates were making. 

“Yep!” Mick said. 

“Aye!” Evan exclaimed. 

“I was here when you called the meeting,” Mark said. 

“Yes,” Hartley replied. 

“I am present and accounted for,” Dillon said. 

“I’m not here,” James said. Cold rolled his eyes. 

“I’m here, Lenny,” Lisa replied. 

“Yo!” Axel exclaimed. Len sighed. He thought he had told that punk kid to get lost. What was he doing here? 

“I think we’re all here, Cold. What’s going on?” Sam asked. 

“This group called the Clan of the Fiery Cross is coming after Mardon because he’s Hispanic. Apparently he was born in Guatemala, which I didn’t know until about an hour ago, but that’s not the point. The point is that they’re bad news, and they’re gonna try to hurt him if he doesn’t leave. We’re gonna make sure that he and Josh and his parents stay safe and don’t have to leave. But that’s not the only reason I called this meeting. I also called it to figure out if any of the rest of us might be targets,” Len explained briskly. James raised his hand, a surprisingly serious expression on his face. 

“The Clan of the Fiery Cross? If that’s what I think it is, they might come after me,” he said. 

“Why would they go after you? You’re a blue-eyed blonde. Ain’t that their ideal person?” Len asked, confused. 

“Well, I may be a blue-eyed blonde, but I’m a blue-eyed blonde Italian Catholic. The Clan of the Fiery Cross isn’t too fond of Catholics either,” James replied. 

“ _You’re_ Catholic? I’ve never seen you anywhere near a church,” Sam asked. 

“Sam, I’m Italian. All Italians are Catholic, period,” James said. 

“Does that mean we need to protect your family, too?” Cold asked. 

“It would if they were around here. Luckily, they’re part of a traveling circus, and they won’t be back to Central City until next March. So we probably shouldn’t have to worry about them too much,” James replied. At this, Evan raised his hand.

“This Clan does nae like Catholics?” he asked. 

“Not at all,” James replied. 

“Then they might be a wee bit of a problem for me.” 

“Why, are all Scots Catholic too?” Len asked. Clearly, this Clan was going to be even more of a headache than he’d anticipated. 

“Nae. But I am,” Evan replied. Len stared at him in shock. Evan didn’t exactly strike him as the religious type. 

“You...you... _what_?” That was all he could think of to say. 

“Miss McCulloch-the saintly wimman who raised me, ye ken?-raised all us bairns to be good Catholics. Three of the lassies who were in the orphanage with me became nuns, and one of the laddies is a priest. I’m nae a good man, but I’m still a Catholic. Go tae kirk at least once a week, confess my sins, all that,” Evan replied awkwardly. 

“Wait a minute. Is _that_ where you disappear every Sunday?” 

“Aye. What did ye think I was doing?” 

“To be honest? Drugs,” Len said. Evan laughed. 

“Suppose I can’t blame ye for that.” Len, now feeling uncomfortable, decided to change the subject. 

“Okay. Mark and his family are Hispanic. Evan and James are both Catholic...somehow. Does anyone _else_ think they might be on this group’s hit list?” At this point, Axel raised his hand. 

“My mom’s from a Jewish family, so I guess I’m technically Jewish, too, even though neither of us practice. I think I remember reading somewhere that those Fiery guys don’t like Jewish people, so they might come after me,” he said. Len sighed wearily. This just kept getting worse and worse. 

“Okay. Axel and his mom are Jewish. Got it. Anything else?” Piper raised his hand. 

“They’re going to come after me. I’m an activist for equality,” he said simply. Len nodded. Piper, left-leaning as the kid was, was an obvious target.

“Piper is basically the polar opposite of these guys, so he’s at risk. Lisa and I won’t be immediate targets, so that just leaves Sam, Mick, and Dillon. You guys think you might get targeted?” 

“Probably not. I’m not Catholic or Jewish,” Mick replied. 

“No, I do not believe so,” Dillon said formally. 

“If I’m anywhere on their hit list, I’m way down it,” Sam explained. Len nodded again.

“All right, now we know where we stand. If those Clan guys come after any of us, we’re gonna give them the fight of their lives. No one messes with the Rogues!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!


	4. Jay Garrick Did Not Fight Nazis For This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Flashes have, unsurprisingly, also come into conflict with the Clan of the Fiery Cross. 
> 
> Inez was Iris' niece from an old Silver Age story; I decided to make her Wallace's younger sister for the purposes of this story.

Elsewhere in Central City, Wally West was coming home after a light jog (running around the world a hundred times in five minutes) when he saw a note stuck in his mailbox. Curious, he pulled it out and read it aloud. 

“‘To the So-Called Hero, Flash’-what do they mean, so called? ‘Your wife is a *****, and you are a race traitor. If you do not leave this city, you will face our wrath.’ No signature, of course, not that I’m surprised. They’ve got some nerve insulting my wife like that!” 

“Like what?” 

“You have to see this, Uncle Barry. Some creep stuck this note into my mailbox,” Wally said. He handed the note to the older speedster, who read the note and frowned. 

“Well, I can definitely see why you’re upset. Whoever wrote that letter clearly has some very ugly beliefs. Unfortunately, since it’s unsigned, it’ll be difficult to track down the sender.” Wally frowned. How was he supposed to solve the problem if he didn’t know where it originated from? How was he supposed to give the jerk who wrote it a piece of his mind if he didn’t know who they were? A few seconds later, Jay, who had accompanied Barry and Wally on their jog, caught up with the two younger speedsters. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked. In response, Barry passed the letter to Jay, whose face went white as he read it. 

“Isn’t it horrible? I found it stuck in my mailbox, but it’s not signed, so I have no idea who it’s from,” Wally said. Jay looked up from the letter, alarm obvious in his eyes. 

“Actually, it is signed, Wally. See this mark here? That’s the emblem of the Clan of the Fiery Cross,” he said quietly. Wally looked at his uncle in alarm. 

“Aren’t those the guys you and Alan Scott drove off when Uncle Barry was a little boy?” 

“They are. If they’ve returned to Central City, then a lot of people are going to be in grave danger...your children included,” Jay replied. 

“My kids? Why would they be in danger?” Wally asked. Surely even the Clan wouldn’t hurt little kids! His uncle frowned. 

“Because they’re the product of a mixed marriage, and therefore a threat to the Clan’s ideas of so-called racial purity. So long as that’s true, your kids’ young age won’t matter to them. The Fiery Cross’s members are fanatics. They don’t care who they hurt if it means accomplishing their goals, and trying to reason with them is difficult if not impossible,” he replied. 

“I just can’t believe they’re back again. When I was a youngster, I was sure that the 21st century would be a paradise….and instead the Clan’s still spreading around its poisonous ideology? It’s downright un-American,” Jay said. Suddenly, a small blurr appeared and solidified into the form of Wallace West, Wally’s younger cousin. He was clearly very upset. 

“Uncle Barry, I need your help! I found this note in my locker after school, and well...look at it!” he exclaimed. He handed a note to their uncle.

“Wallace, I don’t know what to say. This is horrible, and I’m so sorry that someone gave you such a cruel note,” Uncle Barry said.

“Thanks for the support, Uncle Barry. I’ve never had anything like this happen to me before, so it really freaked me out when it happened. Any idea what we should do about it?”

“I have a few ideas. Your cousin and his family just received a similar note, and Jay thinks that the Clan of the Fiery Cross is sending them,” Barry replied. Wally looked over his uncle’s shoulder to see that the note contained only one word. Naturally, that word was a horrible racial slur, and he groaned. So not only were his kids in danger, but his favorite cousin was too? This day just kept getting better and better. Jay, for his part, took one look at the note and made the most frightening face Wally had ever seen on him. The oldest Flash was downright furious. 

“The JSA didn’t fight off the Nazis for this!” he snarled. 

“Are you all right, Jay?” Barry asked. 

“No. No, I’m not alright! I’ve seen what can happen when this sort of poisonous ideology is allowed to run unchecked! When the Spear of Destiny was destroyed in late 1944, the JSA was deployed on the Western front. We helped liberate Europe...and the things I saw as we worked our way through Nazi territory...I’ll never forget them. Death camps where innocent people were slaughtered simply for being different...state-sanctioned mass murder...it’ll haunt me until my dying day. When the war finally ended, I swore to myself to fight that ideology here, too, no matter what form it took...and I don’t intend to stop doing it now. I drove these hate-mongers out of my city once, and if I have to, I’ll do it again, so help me God!” Jay replied. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Wally would have applauded. 

“You won’t have to do it alone. I’m not going to let someone threaten violence on innocent people because of their race or their religion or the color of their skin. Not in my city,” Barry agreed. 

“That goes double for me. They’re not just a threat to this city. When they threatened my Linda, my kids, and my favorite cousin, they made things personal,” Wally added. 

“And triple for me. These Clan guys have terrorized people like me for generations. If we don’t stand up to them now, they’re just gonna keep using force to get their way,” Wallace said. 

“Unfortunately, before we take direct action against them, there’s a lot we still need to figure out. We need to figure out who the ringleaders are, who’s bankrolling them, how many people we’re dealing with, and how well-connected they are. What’s more, we also need definitive proof that they were behind the threatening notes. Their supporters can easily blend in and hide behind masks of respectability. Jay, do you have any idea as to who might be involved?” Barry asked. Jay shook his head. 

“There are a few families in this area who’ve historically been linked to a large number of groups like this, but, as you pointed out, openly accusing them without proof would only make our job harder. A lot of the members of the Clan that I drove out when you were a boy have changed locations since then, and it’s also entirely possible that some of the families that used to be involved have since changed their ways and abandoned the ideology of hate. About the best I can do is provide us with a few potential leads,” he explained. 

“Anything you can give us helps...especially since I’ll be sure to make sure that Barry Allen, police scientist, is just as involved in stopping this group as Barry Allen, the Flash,” Uncle Barry said. At this point, Linda walked out of the home she and Wally shared and over to the speedsters...followed, and very quickly overtaken, by their kids, Jai and Irey.

“Daddy!” 

“Hi, Daddy!” 

“Kids! It’s so good to see you again!” Wally exclaimed as he scooped them both up. 

“All right, which supervillain is on a rampage this time? I can tell from the look on Barry’s face that you four are in the middle of a case,” Linda asked. Wally felt the smile slip off of his face. 

“It’s not a supervillain, Linda. It’s...it’s the Clan of the Fiery Cross,” he said quietly. 

“The hate group?” 

“Yeah. Jay drove out the original group when Uncle Barry was little, but now they’re back, and Wallace and you and me and the kids are all in danger,” Wally replied nervously. 

“What’s a hate group, daddy?” Jai asked. Wally sighed. He’d forgotten he was holding the kids. 

“Your mom and I will tell you later, okay, Jai? Right now, we need to have a grown-up conversation. Why don’t you and Irey race each other around the world a few times while we do that?” Wally replied as he set his twins down.

“Okay, daddy,” Jai replied. 

“I’m gonna beat you, Jai!” Irey exclaimed. 

“Oh, no, you’re not!” With that, the twins took off like a shot. Wally fondly watched them disappear over the horizon, then turned back to his beautiful wife. 

“Okay. Let me see if I can guess why the Clan are mad at us. Wallace and I are obvious: he’s black, and I’m of Asian descent, and therefore we don’t fit into the Clan’s twisted version of America. Jai is also obviously of Asian descent, so that puts him in danger for the same reasons as me, and while Irey may look white, she’s still half-Asian and therefore unacceptable to them. And you? You married a “foreigner” and had “half-breed” kids with her. Some of them probably hate you more than me or the kids,” Linda said. 

“I hope so. I love it when racists are mad at me for not being racist,” Wally replied. 

“Unfortunately, regardless of how they feel about you or Wallace, they’re still more likely to target a woman without superpowers and two small children than they are to go after a teenaged or adult male with super-speed. I’m pretty good at holding my own against goons, but at the end of the day, I’m still vulnerable to bullets...and bombs. And the kids are still learning how to use their powers,” Linda said. 

“You’re right, Linda. Probably the most Wally and I are really gonna get is some nasty words. They may hate me because of my skin tone, but that doesn’t mean that all of them are gonna want to pick a fight with a five-foot, eight-inch guy with super speed, no matter how new he is to his powers. I’m big enough that them trying to jump me is likely to end in my favor once my powers are taken into consideration, and I think they know it-and in cousin Wally’s case, their odds decrease by about twentyfold. That doesn’t mean they won’t still be a pain, but it does mean that Wally and I can at least focus on protecting other people-like my folks and my sister Inez-instead of ourselves,” Wallace said. Wally smiled. 

“That’s true. If there’s one upside to this situation, it’s that the Clan isn’t armed with weapons that can counter our super-speed,” he said. 

“And with three Flashes and a Kid Flash on the case, we’ll put an end to these creeps in no time!” Wallace exclaimed. Jay frowned. 

“I hate to rain on this parade, youngsters, but I don’t think that getting rid of the Clan will be as easy as you think. It took Alan and I four years to fully drive the Clan out of Central City last time. As your Uncle Barry pointed out, it’s hard to know who they are. They don’t wear costumes; they act in secrecy, under the cover of night. Some of them are very good at appearing respectable and friendly...and that makes them very dangerous. It’s difficult to prepare for an attack from someone you don’t know is a threat,” he said. Wally frowned. If that was true, then Linda and the kids were in even more danger than he’d realized. 

“Oh. I didn’t think about that,” Wallace said quietly. 

“Neither did I, if it makes you feel any better,” Wally replied. 

“That’s the one problem with fighting supervillains...you sometimes forget that evil can come from people who don’t wear elaborate costumes,” Uncle Barry said. 

“I never thought I’d say I’d miss fighting your crazy stalker, Uncle Barry...but right now, I really miss fighting Professor Zoom,” Wally said. This was one threat that would take the force of all three Flashes to defeat...and even then, Wally was starting to wonder if it would be enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading.


End file.
